Compressor governor construction



Feb 25, 1936,

T igl Filed Aug. 2, 1933 lmumm Z 5 INVENTOR CLYDE c. FARMER BY %%/M ATTORIV' Patented Feb. 25, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COMPRESSOR GOVERNOR CONSTRUCTION Application August 2, 1933, Serial No. 683,337

4 Claims.

This invention relates to pressure regulating devices and more particularly to governors for controlling the admission of steam to a fluid compressor.

In my prior Patent No. 1,921,609, issued August 8, 1933, a governor construction for controlling the operation of a steam compressor driven by super-heated steam is disclosed which includes a barrier plate clamped between the piston bushing and the piston cylinder section for radiating heat which would otherwise be. transmitted from the steam valve portion to the non-pressure chamber below the piston. The exterior surface of the barrier plate is maintained fairly cool by atmospheric air currents circulating freely over it and the non-pressure chamber side of the plate is in communication with the atmosphere through openings in the piston bushing which communicate with an annular space surrounding the bushing, said space being open to the atmosphere.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a steam compressor governor of the above type having improved means for permitting a flow of air from the annular space surrounding the piston bushing to the non-pressure chamber below the piston.

Another object of my invention is to provide a barrier plate. having improved means for holding said plate securely in position between the piston bushing and the piston cylinder section regardless of variations in the manufacture of these parts, so that the plate will not rattle due to vibration.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following more detailed description of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing; Fig. 1 is a sectional view taken vertically through a steam compressor governor embodying my invention; and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the barrier plate embodied in the compressor governor.

It should be understood that whereas the steam compressor governor shown in the drawing is of the so called single toptype, my invention may also be applied to a steam compressor governor of the double top type.

As shown in Fig. 1, the governor may comprise a steam valve body I, a cylinder section 2, and a cylinder head 3. 'The cylinder section 2 is provided with a cylindrical boss 4 which fits into an annular recess formed in the body I, and the section 2 is clamped to the body I by means of bolts 5 (two of which are shown).

The body I is provided with a partition wall 6 which separates the steam inlet chamber I from the outlet chamber 8 and is provided with a valve seat for a steam valve 9. The steam valve is carried by a stem Ill which extends upwardly through a bore in a guide bushing II. The bushing II is 5 provided with a circular flange I2 which extends into the recess formed to receive the boss 4 and rests upon a gasket I3, the flange I2 being clamped in place by the bolts 5 when the section 2 is secured to the body I. 10

Loosely carried within an axial bore in the stem In of the steam valve 9 is a stem I4, the upper end of which is pressed into an axial bore in a piston I5 and in an axially disposed boss It on the upper side of the piston I5, with a collar I! on said stem engaging the lower side of said piston, the stem I4 being preferably peened over at the upper end of the boss I6.

The boss I 6 slidably engages a boss 32 mounted in a bore in the section 3 for guiding the movement of the piston I5.

The piston I5 works in a slip bushing l8 having an annular flange IS. The flange I9 extends into an annular recess formed at the upper face of the section 2 and is clamped in place when the head 3 is secured to the section 2 by means of bolts (not shown), a gasket 20 being interposed between the clamping faces of the section 2 and the head 3. The bushing I8, for a portion of its length from the bottom, is spaced away from the inner wall of the section 2, so that an annular chamber 2| is formed between said bushing and said wall.

Interposed between the lower end of the bushing I8 and an inwardly extending annular ledge 22 of the section 2 is a barrier plate 23 which is preferably pressed from a section of sheet metal and is preferably of cup shape, having at one end an outwardly extending horizontally disposed annular supporting flange 24 having portions 25 which are adapted to rest on said annular ledge 22.

The flange 24 is provided with spaced resilient fingers or lugs 26 which project beyond the up per face of the flange 24 and which are adapted to be engaged by the lower face 21 of the bushing I8. These lugs are preferably resilient and are integral with the flange 24. Each lug may be formed by slitting the flange and bending the slit portion upwardly. In the present embodiment of the invention, each lug is formed by slitting the flange 24 inwardly from its periphery in two places and bending the metal between the slits upwardly but it will be understood that may affect the distance between the lower face 2'! of the bushing l8 and theledge 22 Spaces 28 are formed between the lower face '21 of the bushing 18 and the portions 25 of the flange 24, so that communication is Vopen'through said spaces from the annular chamber 25 to the chamber 29 below the piston l-5' and-within the-- barrier plate 23, for a purpose which will ap pear hereinafter.

The lower portion of the barrier plate 23 is provided with a central opening intowhich extends an annular boss'30 of the section 2. An opening 3! is provided in the barrier plate, affording communication from chamber 29 to the atmosphere. The section 2 is provided with openings 32 to permit free circulation of air through the space surrounding the plate 23.

A passage 34 in the cylinder head 3, communicating with the chamber 35 above the piston l5'and containing a choke plug 36, registers with a passage 33in the cylinder section 2 leading to the annular chamber 2 I, forpermitting a con:- trolled flow of fluid'under pressure from chamber 35 to the chamber '2l,'as-will be understood from the description hereinafter.

The governor top comprises a-spring box 31 having screw-threaded engagement in the head 3; A valve seat bushing 38,'provided with-an annular flange 39' is mounted'in abore ina partition wall 59 which separates chamber 58 from the piston chamber 35, and a'fiexible diaphragm 4D ismounted to engage the flange. On the opposite side of the diaphragm is a ring H which engages the lower end of the spring box 31, so that when the spring box'is screwedinto place the diaphragm 49' and the seat bushing 38 are clamped in place.

Mounted in the valve seat bushing is a valve 42 adaptedto engage a'seat provided in said bushing and the valve 42 is provided with a rectangular guide head 43, the rounded corners of which engage the cylindrical'guide wall in the bushing 38, and when these corners are ,in such engagement, there will be spaces between the straight sides of the head and the cylindrical guide wall of the bushing through which fluid under pressure supplied throughpassages 51 in the bushing from the chamber58 is suppliedto the chamber at one side of the flexible diaphragm 240i I V i Mounted in a chamber provided in the bushing '38 is a coilspring having one end in engagement with a spring plate 45. The central portion ofthe spring plate is provided with a rounded depression adapted to receive the roundedend of a stem 43 carried by the valve 33.

Thelower end of the spring 44 is engaged by a spring plate 41 which is held in place by a spring ring 48 which is mounted in an annular groove formed in thebushing 38.

The spring chamber 55 is in comm I cation with the chamber 35 above the piston I 5 through 'the openings 56 in the'bushing wall.

Mountedinthe-springbox-31 is an'adjustable coil spring 43, one end of which wears on a follloower plate 50 engaging the flexible diaphragm The upper end of the spring engages a spring plate 5| having a rounded depression for the re ception of the rounded end of an adjusting screw 52 which is screw-threaded into the upper wall of the spring box 31, with a head 53. A look nut 54 is mounted on the screw to provide for clamping the screw in its adjusted position.

The bushing l I is provided with a chamber which opens into a chamber 6| and this latter ohamber is open to the atmosphere through a passage 62. chamber 8, around the stem Ill, to the chamber 50- will befree to flow to the atmosphere by way of chamber 6! and atmospheric passage 62. By thisconstruction, the chamber 23, defined by the barrier plate 23, bushing l8 and piston I5, will be substantially free from leaking steam. If steam-should leak into"the-chamber 2-9, it will be freeto flow to the atmosphere'byway of 'th opening 31- inthe barrier plate 23.

The governor top operates in the usual-well known mannerto control the operationofthe valve 38 which,-in--turn, controls the operation of the steam valve 9-. 'When thevalve-38 is unseated, fluid-under pressure' is supplied-to the piston chamber 35, causing thepiston l5 to-be moved downwardlyso'asto partially or wholly totheatmosphere by way of the chokeplug 36,

passages and 33, chamber 2 I, spaces 28,chamber 29'' and theopening 3|, thereby permitting 'steam in-chaniber I actingon the'steam valve 9 to open said valve. 7 g

The outer surface of the barrier plate-23 is cooled by-currents of atmospheric air which-pass through the openings 32 in the cylinder sec'tion2.

Possible leakage of'ste'am from the r Thus, the barrier plate, being. cooled in the above described manner, prevents any-considerable heat frombeing-transmitted to the chamber 29 below the piston 15, which would interfere with thelubrication andproper operation of the--pis- I ton I5. a r

While one illustrative embodiment of'the invention has been-described in detail, it is not my in- Patent, is:- r a v 1. Ina steam pump-governor, thecombination with a cylinder casing, abushing mounted-insaid casing adapted to rec'eive a piston andhaving one end spacedfrom saidlcasing, and a barrier-"plate mountedinsaid casing and having a flange disposed in the-space'between the end of thebushing and the casing, and resilient fingers formed in said-flange and engaged by theend of the bushing to ,yieldingly maintain saidplate in position with a substantial portion thereof in'spacedrelation to the end-of saidbushing. v

2. In a steam pump governor, the combination with a casing, a bushing mounted in said casing and having one end spaced from said casing, a piston mounted in said bushing, a cap for securing said bushing to said casing, said cap, bushing and piston defining a pressure chamber, and means providing an always open communication between said pressure chamber and the space between the end of the bushing and the casing, of a barrier plate mounted in said casing and having a flange disposed in a portion of the space between the end of the bushing and the casing, said bushing, piston and barrier plate defining a non-pressure chamber communicating with said space, and resilient lugs formed in said flange and engaged by the end of said bushing to yieldingly maintain said plate in position.

3. In a steam pump governor, the combination with a casing having a shoulder, a bushing mounted in said casing and having one end spaced from said shoulder, a piston mounted in said bushing, a cap for securing said bushing to said casing, said cap, bushing and piston defining a pressure chamber, of a barrier plate having a flange resting on said shoulder, said bushing, piston and barrier plate defining a non-pressure chamber, said barrier plate having resilient fingers bent in said flange and engaged by the end of the bushing to yieldingly maintain said plate in spaced relation between the bushing and the flange to provide passages for effecting communication between said pressure chamber and said non-pressure chamber.

4. In a steam pump governor, the combination with a casing having a shoulder, a bushing mounted in said casing and having one end spaced from said shoulder, a piston mounted in said bushing, and a cap for securing said bushing to said casing, said cap, bushing and piston defining a pressure chamber, of a barrier plate having a flange resting on said shoulder, said bushing, piston and barrier plate defining a non-pressure chamber, and resilient lugs formed in said flange and engaged by said bushing to yieldingly maintain said plate in position, the spaces between the lugs forming vent passages from the pressure chamber to the non-pressure chamber through the space between the end of the bushing and the portions of the flange between said lugs.

CLYDE C. FARMER. 

